A picnic is often not the best choice

Typically, when you did not have a total grasp of something, like a subject at school, you would study harder and practice more. Look for polishment, and get your questions answered.

It was human nature to search for perfection. And that applied to almost everything.

"It is what it is," Ren said while he sighed quietly. He did not want to sound displeased. 

Learning a new skill was always a journey. It had a start, a middle, and an end. When Ren realized he got stuck in the beginning, he decided to get some advice from his tutor.

But—why were these three with him?

"Um? What is it, Suzuki?" asked Ayumi with her usual carefree expression.

"You've been looking grumpy since we left school," Kuriko added, taking her hands to her hips and staring at her brother intently.

"Are you not feeling well, Suzuki-san?" Hana finished, at last.

"Don't worry. It's nothing, really."

"If you say so."

The presence of the three girls ruined his plans. What was supposed to be a walk to a training area turned into a hangout with friends. Ren did not know if he felt happy to be with his friends or sad about not training.

(How did this happen, anyway?)

Of course, Ren remembered what led to this, but he could not abstain from questioning himself.

In short, he mentioned that he would go to Rui's temple after class. Ayumi heard and insisted on having a picnic. He could not refuse, so now they were climbing up the many stairs with their respective snacks.

Furthermore, she insisted that Ren cook something for them—and thus, he had to go back home to do some simple meal only to make her happy.

"Hana, are you okay?"

"I-I am."

They had been climbing for quite some time, and Hana's lack of physical prowess started to show itself. She also carried some weight, which must be a challenge for her.

Ren would have helped if his hands were not already full (he carried his and Kuriko's bags and boxes). Kuriko was also not much athletic, but she was doing better than Hana, thanks to that.

"Give me this," Ayumi took Hana's bags from her hands in a swift movement. 

"Oh, thank you," Hana said, relieved.

"Let's continue."

Ren was the only one who did not display any sign of exhaustion, perhaps because he had gotten used to the path, so he was in the front of the group. 

After a few more minutes, they reached the top without any other incident. The vast shrine grounds expanded in Ren's sight, and he could not help but look for Rui or Haiji. He glanced at the ruined structure but did not see anything. He supposed the spirits would not appear before other people.

"I think we must find a place to settle first," Ayumi suggested.

"Of course," Kuriko agreed. "But, to be honest, it would be better to do it somewhere. Like in the woods, maybe?"

"Totally. Let's look for the ideal place. You stay here and defend the food, Suzuki, Hana."

"Leave it to me."

Ren did not know what he would defend the food from, but he nodded in agreement instead of questioning. Ayumi probably referred to wild animals, but Ren had not seen one yet.

Ayumi and Kuriko disappeared into the woods that covered the area. Nature was dense, probably due to the lack of human presence here, and Ren wondered if the two would not get lost.

Hana seemingly shared Ren's worries, "They won't get lost, will they?"

"Nah. I don't think so. There's a trail there meant for hikers."

"Seriously? I didn't know that."

"It's true. I discovered it by chance some time ago. Look, over there," Ren pointed with his finger, and Hana squinted her eyes, trying to find it. 

"Oh, it's really a trail."

"Though, I admit, you must be quite determined to hike here. I mean, the terrain is terrible."

Ayumi and Kuriko were likely searching for a plain place with shade abundance, but that would be hard to find in a steep and poorly taken care of area such as this.

How long would it take to find a good place? 

"Is it just me, or does this place seem cleaner?" Hana asked.

"Now that you mentioned... It does."

The first time Ren came here, dust and dirt filled the ground like a thin layer of paint. But now, the shrine grounds were clean, which was hard to notice due to how deteriorated it was.

"Did the wind do that? No, that's not possible. That's human labor," Hana remarked.

"It sure is. Wow, whoever did this was rather dedicated to working."

Ren could not find a reason to clean this uninhabited place. For instance, only the city prefecture would do such a thing, but if they did not even fix a public light pole, it was rather unlikely they would work here.

"What a good job, I must say. Whoever did this put a lot of effort into this."

"Um? What do you mean, Miyamoto-san?"

"Look, Suzuki-san, the floor is practically shining. Imagine how much it would take to wipe out all the dirt on it. Even the gaps in the floor are clean!"

"Uh, It's cleaner, sure, but is it shining?"

"It is! Oh my, it's so clean I could eat on it."

"..."

Ren preferred to interpret that as a joke.

The floor would always have microorganisms, sometimes dangerous ones, no matter how clean it looked. Eating on the floor was out of the question.

"I'm getting hungry..."

"Yeah, me too. But we have to wait for Yukihira and Kuriko."

Ren and Hana continued idly chatting as they waited. 

Soon after, bushes far ahead began to shake. Ren thought it was an animal, but Ayumi suddenly hopped out with Kuriko right after her.

"We found a good place!"

"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting."

Hana got up and tapped her skirt a few times to remove dust (even after affirming that the ground was clean). Ayumi approached her, cheerful.

"It was hard to find a good spot at first. We just happened to follow a trail and find a place for barbecues. There is no one there, though."

"Oh, that's great. Truly the perfect spot."

"Good work, you two," Ren said.

"Thanks, Suzuki."

"Hey, Onii-chan. Listen to this, Yukihira-senpai is an excellent navigator! Haha, We had no problems whatsoever."

"Good to hear that."

That reminded Ren of something, but he could not remember correctly. 

At any rate, they had found a place where they could have their picnic, so they headed there without delay. 

It genuinely was a suitable place. It was spacious and visibly well-treated. An impeccable hedge that looked more like a work of art circled it.

Ren started to think if they could actually use that place for free.

They could not waste that opportunity. Ren dropped the many boxes and began to take the utensils and food. Hana did the same with hers.

"Good, everything's in order. Let's have this picnic," Ren exclaimed as he sat down and prepared to eat.

"Yeah!"

They used a sheet to cover the ground. It was large, but the food occupied a good portion of it. The group had to sit in a circle to fit inside, and Ren got the worst possible position, the furthest from the food.

Nevertheless, no one paid attention to Ren's complaints, so the picnic proceeded smoothly.

"Kuriko-chan, could you pass me that jar?'

"Sure. Here it is."

Everybody was enjoying the picnic. Although perhaps, the group may have brought too much food.

"Suzukiiiiii, what's this?"

"It's a simple sandwich..."

"Then why is it so gooood!?"

Ayumi was apparently having the time of her life as she tasted one of the sandwiches Ren made. She closed her eyes while munching, limiting her senses to concentrate more on the flavor.

"Yukihira...what are you eating at your house? Bricks?"

"Oh, Suzuki-san. Ayumi can have a sensible taste sometimes."

"A sensible taste, huh? Mine's good, okay. But, Yukihira, have you tried Kuriko's?"

"Kuriko-chan's? No."

She did not even finish what she was eating, immediately grabbing one of Kuriko's sandwiches. She brought it closer to her face and stared, amazed.

"Gulp," first, she swallowed what she was eating. "Let's see!"

Ayumi took a small bite.

"Ah."

And she immediately widened her eyes. 

"What is..."

She did not complete her phrase. She just hugged Kuriko, who was surprised.

"Why so sudden, Yukihira-senpai?"

"Marry me, please," Ayumi proposed as she looked at Kuriko's confused face.

"Uh..."

"If I could eat something like this every day, I'd literally live in paradise."

"Sorry...I don't play for this team. But, well, I can cook for you once in a while, if you like."

"Please, Kuriko-chan. I'd do anything."

"Well, sure?"

Kuriko displayed a wry expression as Ayumi rubbed her head against her chest.

"Wow. What just happened?" Ren questioned himself.

He started to really worry about Ayumi's diet. 

To be sure, Ren also ate one of Kuriko's sandwiches, which was indeed delicious, but not as much as to send him to Shangri-la. Perhaps he was only used to the taste, or Ayumi was overreacting.

In no time at all, the sandwiches were gone.

"What did you do to make these so good?" Hana asked. 

"I don't have secret ingredients or anything," Kuriko admitted. "I just do it, and they get good somehow."

"I see."

For a moment, Ren thought Kuriko would give the cliched explanation like: "The secret ingredient is love!" In most cases, this "love" people talked about was just a product of salt.

As Ren pondered about that, he saw something from afar. 

"Hm?"

The group, noticing his change, followed his line of sight, spotting an animal coming their way, making a show. It was a dog whose race Ren did not know. Black, shadowy black, and looked more like a wolf.

"Awn, look at it!"

It arrived pompously and sat next to them.

"Woof!" the dog barked, swaying its tail happily.

"Does it want food?'

"Probably. Give something to it."

Kuriko did not hesitate to take Ren's sandwich from his hand and throw it at the dog. He did not have any space for complaints.

The animal ate the food but did not look satisfied yet, backing to its initial position.

This time, however, Kuriko was reluctant to feed the dog. 

"I'm afraid it'll feel sick by eating our food."

"Kuriko-chan, this is a street dog. Nothing will affect it. It probably hangs around here because people that come here feed it."

"A street dog? That doesn't seem to be the case. Look how beautiful its fur is."

"You have a point."

The dog apparently noticed it would not get any food, so it used its ultimate weapon, cuteness. However, its menacing appearance served as a hindrance to its objective. It merely lowered its ears and locked its gaze on Kuriko, but that was the complete transformation. Apparently, the contrast made the attack more powerful. An invisible dagger pierced Kuriko's heart.

"No! Don't look at me like that!" Kuriko tried in vain to avert her eyes.

The cuteness was too much—it seemed to seal Kuriko's mind. She failed to bear it and gave up.

"Ahhh! It's so cute! Here, take this,"

Slightly depressed due to her defeat, she threw a piece of meat to the dog that devoured it delightfully. The defeated could only lower her head and witness the results.

"Frankly, Kuriko, it's as Yukihira said. I doubt a street dog will be affected by human food."

"But..."

"Don't overthink about it," Ren quickly interjected her. "But, really, its fur is amazing."

The animal, the winner, lifted its head smugly. It stared at Kuriko, almost like looking down on her. Moving its paws, the dog approached Ren—would he be its next target? He wondered. He would not fall as easily as his sister.

"Suzuki-san, you're the chosen one!"

"Oh?"

The dog sat on the floor, right in front of Ren. An exchange of glances signaled that the fight had begun. Was that a smile on the dog's face? 

"Try as you might."

It looked like sparks were jumping out of their eyes. Each second that passed felt like a punch to Ren's face. Sweat started to appear on his forehead. He was losing the battle.

The dog stayed as calm as ever, keeping the watch, not blinking once, like a sentinel, leaving Ren with no space to react. 

Ren had to counter-attack, but how? He could not break the rules and slap the dog. The smile (?) on its face grew wider. An image of a particular guardian popped into Ren's mind.

"What are you, dog? You're certainly used to this. Do you happen to know someone called Rui?" Ren asked jokingly.

The girls found it weird that he was talking to an animal, but they only assumed it made part of the play. 

Rui—upon this name, the dog's ears stiffened, alerted, and its eyes wavered. Ren would not be so foolish as not to notice the reaction. 

(Wait, it responded?)

But he could not make assumptions either. Dogs were intelligent creatures. He did not know if the opponent had reacted specifically to "Rui."

"Oh? So you do know Rui?"

Another reaction. The dog's tail raised like a lightning rod. It was clearly alarmed. It finally took its eyes away, admitting defeat. Ren had won, but a new doubt spawned in his head.

(It really reacted to "Rui." Is it a spirit?)

"Oh! Suzuki is victorious!"

Victory no longer mattered to Ren. He could only think of the possible spirit, who sensed his investigations and rapidly retreated away to the bushes, disappearing. 

Ren would not follow it, although he wanted to. He could not abandon his friends. 

"Weird..." he muttered to himself, his voice camouflaged by Ayumi's merriments.

It was a simple spirit, so why was he so shocked? Not even he knew the answer. He should have gotten used to such phenomena, so apparently, he was just afraid that that gorgeous black dog was, in fact, Rui in her bestial form.

Ren hid his real worries and returned his consciousness to the picnic. He would ask Rui herself about it later. 

"Well, wasn't it good?" Ayumi questioned without expecting an answer. 

"Totally!" Kuriko continued nonetheless. "It was very, very fun!"

"Undoubtedly. It was delicious."

"Uhh, are we on the same boat, Yukihira?" Ren contested, but it was useless. The memories of Kuriko's sandwiches had already switched off her thought processes.

The picnic ended along with the food, which did not last long after a totally unnecessary food contest between Ayumi and Ren, which finished with his loss. Because of that, he was condemned to carry everything while they climbed down the mountain stairs.

"Seriously... How is that even possible? Does she have a black hole for a stomach?" Ren grumbled as the distance between him and the group increased. They were leaving him behind. 

Ren could do nothing about that. He carried a pile of heavy boxes that restrained his movement and blocked his vision. He had to be extra careful not to fall over. The girls obviously noted his struggle, but no one showed any sign of helping him.

He was a powerlifter, a machine with no free will. 

But then, a helping hand reached him, the hand of a mechanic fixing rusty gears. Ren instinctively took his eyes out of his shoes when the sudden sunlight, once blocked by the box at the top, painted his face a bright yellow. 

"Here, Suzuki-san. You were looking pitful, so let me help you."

"Miyamoto-san! Thank you! But it's okay. It isn't that heavy."

"No, no. I insist. Come, Ayumi. Help us, too."

"Whaaat? But why? Suzuki lost the food contest."

"Quick, quick. You as well, Kuriko-chan."

"'Kay."

One by one, the weight on Ren's hands disappeared. Everyone had a box, except Ren, who held five of them still. Regardless, he felt glad that he was not a simple machine.

"Suzuki, this box is so light. Why were you complaining?" Ayumi questioned ironically, dissatisfied that she had to carry one of the boxes. 

"I didn't. Not to be ungrateful to Miyamoto-san, but they only made it difficult to walk."

"Oh, you lack willpower. Give me these. I'll show you how easy it is."

"Ayumi, I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Yeah, I'm afraid you'll fall over."

"Shut up and do what I said."

"...Aye."

Ren's reluctance could not budge Ayumi's confidence in herself. He lifted the boxes and dropped them on her. The sudden weight made her stumble slightly.

"You won't go running, right?"

"Though it seems fun to do so, I'm not so stupid as to risk that."

"Onii-chan, it's probably better if you went ahead of her," Kuriko whispered to Ren. She imagined that if Ayumi lost balance, Ren would catch her. 

He had already thought that, so he nodded to Kuriko and advanced to the front of the group. Meanwhile, Ayumi was attempting to equilibrate the boxes. 

She managed to do it and lost no time starting her hazardous path. A smirk appeared on her face as she descended step by step.

"See? Easy peasy."

"I still don't know what your point is."

"Showing off my capabilities, of course!"

Ayumi underestimated the stairs. She decided to increase the difficulty and gradually raised her speed to reach the group.

"I'll catch up to you!"

She reached her top speed. The boxes trembled like a domino tower that refused to fall. Was she just lucky? Or was she a juggler?

Undoubtedly, luck was not something she had in plenty.

"Watch out!" Ren shouted—instants later for Ayumi's mind to process and slow down.

She had accumulated too much speed and force. She stomped on a fragile portion of the stairs, crushing it into many pieces. Her foot met broken concrete, and the loss of momentum utterly destroyed her balance.

"Awah!?"

Ayumi would soon reach her demise. The world around her seemed in slow motion as all of her life passed through her eyes. She gave up on the boxes, throwing them away to free her arms to try to stop her fall. 

But it was a slope, so that would not work.

"Oh, honestly. Are you an idiot?"

Ayumi did not feel death's cold embrace but a warm, safe one. She sank into the wall that saved her, finally stopping. At the same time, the sweet aroma of coconut (?) bristled Ren's nose as she grabbed the falling girl like a ball thrown at him.

"I told you to be careful," Ren said with an embarrassed smile. 

Ayumi did not answer. She just sank her face further into Ren's chest. However, she soon regained her senses, pushing herself away with her cheeks deep red.

"A-ah... Umm"

"I-it's okay."

Ren scratched his head and went to get all the boxes thrown away. Of course, that was only an act to hide his embarrassment. 

Meanwhile, Hana and Kuriko were in a trance. They both covered their mouths with a hand and released silent giggles, glancing at each other with pretentious eyes.

It was apparent what they were thinking. And that only made it worse for Ayumi, who stood still like a lightning pole with a red light bulb. Her eyes wavered between Ren, the ground, Hana, and Kuriko.

She eventually rejoined the other girls. They started to whisper like informants. 

"What was that, Yukihira-senpai?" Kuriko started. She made sure to add a weird intonation to the phrase.

"Ayumi, my dear, have you been reading generic novels lately?"

"Let's not speak about this."

"No, no, no! Yukihira-senpai, that was, like, so cool! I've never seen something similar outside of a book!"

"Kuriko-chan, really, he just prevented me from falling. It was nothing special."

"Oh? It probably felt special for both of you. Did you not feel that spark within your heart?"

Ayumi's embarrassment could not stop Kuriko's mind from running wild. After minutes that felt like torture for Ayumi, Kuriko finally stopped when she spotted her brother approaching them.

"Hey, Onii-chan. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. You should be asking that to Yukihira."

"I'm okay, Suzuki. But I, uh, ought to apologize."

"No need for that. It was an accident, and I just helped you."

"Yes. Exactly."

"You two are so boring," Kuriko said.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't understand, Onii-chan."

"Oh, okay then. Let's continue. We're almost in the end."

"I feel like you're wasting your chances," whispered Kuriko in Ren's ears, like a tempting devil.

Ren understood how the mind of a girl her age worked, so he had to shoot her down before things got out of control. 

"C'mon, Kuriko. Aren't you taking things too fast? What happened here was nothing special."

"You sure don't know how the mind of a girl works, do you?"

"I don't. You know I take part in the excluded people in society. But anyway, I can't believe that's as simple as that."

"Ahaa," Kuriko sighed, fed up with Ren's lack of consideration. "Be that as it may, Onii-chan."

While they had that talk, Ren and the others finished the stairs and were now on the familiar asphalt. It was departing time.

"Oh, we're here already. Now, I suppose it's time to leave. Right, Ayumi?"

"Y-yes. Thanks, Suzuki and Kuriko-chan. The time was great, and the food was delicious."

"Heh. Until tomorrow, you two," Ren answered, bowing.

Hana returned his bow and left. Their home was far from here, so Ren assumed they would walk to the nearest taxi point. 

Ren glanced at the bushes and waved at the spirit dog stealthily following them, sure to ask Rui about it later. Then he walked away along with Kuriko.

The creak of a rusty door broke the silence of the night. He had tried to leave it without sound, but the old hinges frustrated his plans. 

"Aw. I hope this didn't wake up Kuriko."

Ren prayed. But with no room to stop, he continued sneaking to the apartment door. He took the keys from the table and left.

It was strange how adrenaline would fill his body when he did something he did not want anyone to discover. 

"I feel like a spy from an old-school movie."

Ren left the residential area. He was relieved that this small town had a low rate of robberies because a nocturne street walk would always feel creepy.

He arrived in no time. 

It was pretty late into the night, but on the shrine grounds, Ren could already see Rui and Haiji. Were they waiting for him?

"Oh, good evening. You're already here?"

"Hoho, of course! I'm your master, boy. I need to predict when my pupil will ask for help."

"Hello, Ren-dono. We suspected you'd come here."

"Huh, right on the spot. You two really amaze me."

"Um? Are you complimenting me? Oh, how sweet of you, pupil. But don't think flattering will make me go easy on you. Haha!" Rui laughed to herself. She was taking this master-pupil relationship very seriously. 

Ren thanked the heavens for giving him such a proficient professor. 

He stepped into the temple yard, approaching the spirits. 

"Uh, Rui-san," he called.

"Yes?"

"How is your appearance in your animal form?"

"My appearance, you ask? Why is that?"

"Nothing. Just curiosity."

"Huh. Well, I take the form of a black, white, gorgeous wolf. It's quite different from the animal you saw back then. My true form must be as great as my human self, don't you agree?"

"I see."

"W-why do you ask?"

"Rui-san, you know. Have you been using your true form to get food from people who visit this area?"

"No. O-of course not. I'm Rui, the Guardian Spirit. I'd never do something like that."

A shadow started to appear on Ren's face. Rui had her honor to defend, but it was clearly a lie. Now, Ren needed to know if she was doing this out of fun or out of need.

"Rui-san... What am I going to do with you? Why are you doing this?"

She recognized that denying would do nothing. Flustered, she set her pride aside and decided to be honest.

"Haah," she began with a sigh. "Boy, spirits don't get nutrition from food, so food is unnecessary to us. But human food is delicious. And since I don't get offerings since the ruin of this temple, I use the visitors as a means to experience human taste again. It's not that strange. Please don't think your master is pathetic."

"You're overreacting, Rui-san. I just thought it was something serious. I'm glad to know it isn't. But, another question, were you the one who cleaned the shrine grounds?"

"Yes, yes," Rui nodded, apparently happy to have her work recognized. "It seems I underestimated your vision. Since you're visiting me frequently, I thought a little cleaning would be good."

"Well, it wasn't me who noticed first... but anyway. Rui-san, Haiji-san. Let's get back to business," Ren said.

Rui promptly adjusted her posture, and Haiji approached them from the side, creating a triangle formation. Ren would not leave so soon.

"So, what's the deal, boy?" Rui asked. 

"It concerns the skill you mentioned yesterday, the Spiritual Sight. Honestly, I didn't understand how it was supposed to work. Can you give me a better explanation?"

"So that's your doubt, I see. Hmm, let me see. Yesterday, in your first try, did you feel something? Like a little pulsation in your eyes or a light shiver?"

"Nope, nothing at all. It felt like a meditation."

"I comprehend..." Rui pondered. "I have an idea, though it might not work. We must try it anyway. The Spiritual Sight will be crucial for your training, so you can't miss it."

"Crucial? Then please, go ahead. There is nothing wrong in trying."

"I intended to make you use the fast process, but that didn't work, so let's take it slow and simple."

"Right."

"We will use a concentration technique called Words of Power, which basically consists of focusing your attention on a specific moment when you pronounce the Power Word. Let's make it easy and use 'Spiritual Sight' as the trigger, okay?"

"Okay, fair enough," Ren shrugged. It would seem weird to shout the name of his abilities, but cool nonetheless.

"Then, let's do as I taught. Concentrate, breathe, and feel the magic flowing through your body. When you reach your maximum, pronounce 'Spiritual Sight' with all your willpower and open your eyes. Let's?" Rui urged.

She came closer to Ren and grabbed both of his hands, holding them tightly. Suddenly, Ren felt more relaxed. The feeling of her delicate hands served as an anchor. He could not afford to be distracted. 

"Boy, count until five while controlling your breathing," suggested Rui

"Right."

One.

He concentrated.

Two.

He controlled his breathing.

Three.

Feel the magical power. Feel the magical power. Feel the magical power. Feel the magical power. Feel the magical power. Magical Power!

Four.

Then, he felt a warm sensation in his gut, as if water had flooded his organism. The feeling filled his body. Oddly enough, it was not unfamiliar to him.

Five.

There was nothing in his mind.

He had reached the maximum.

"Spiritual Sight!"

He used all the force of his lungs and opened his eyes.

And.

The world that Suzuki Ren saw was totally different.